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"The halls of this great temple on the coast are host to much history lost before the Dark Ages. It is now our sacred duty to transcribe their knowledge, so that we may know our past." -First High Cleric Val'Nigia, "The Illumination of Our World: Volume I" This timeline shows the broad strokes of history, from the beginning to the present year. Much of the history pre-Rebirth is accounted in religious texts. The most notable of these tomes is "The Illumination of Our World", an enormous book whose first volume was created by First High Cleric Val'Nigia, an ancient scholar of Zimar who discovered the Temple of Immosi. Post-Rebirth texts are mainly historical accounts based on diary entries, anthropological evidence, scholarly texts, and the like. The First Universe The Dark Tower Before anything, there was only The Void. Or, at least, it's theorized there was nothing. From this timeless, nonexistent realm came a spark called 'The First Event'. How this spark happened or why has been debated for centuries internally by the Immosian Church and it's clergy. What's not debated, however, is what was produced from this initial spark. The Deity, a transcendent being that dwelled within The Void, created a dark, shapeless universe. At its center was the Deity's throne, The Dark Tower. "And from its will, the Dark Tower was brought forth from the void. The center of All-Things, yet outside of it, and the throne from which the Deity, the One Most High, shaped existence from his vestige, watching it spring forth into life." -First High Cleric Val'Nigia, "The Illumination of Our World: Volume II" The Dark Tower acted as the only truly physical place in all the planes of existence. From The Dark Tower, the multi-universe and all the different dimensions began to expand outward. It was both the seat of the Deity, but, also, acted as its presence in the physical universe. As the dimensions began to take shape and expand, The Deity itself began to create. The Birth of The Old Gods Only a barren, lifeless universe existed outside The Dark Tower, and so The Deity hoped to create beings to populate and rule the new physical universe. From his throne, The Deity used dark matter along with The Void to craft his children. These 'children' would become The Old Gods; horrible planet-sized abominations with immeasurable powers. Once created, the Deity set them loose upon the physical planes, but with a caveat: they would never be allowed to enter the realm of the Dark Tower. With true neutrality as the Deity's weakness, it let the Old Gods out into the universe, only able to watch. The Old Gods seeded the natural evolution of many different worlds, allowing life to develop and grow. However, they used their magic and power to shape the most evolved life to their liking. Four core species rose to dominance under the command of The Old Ones. "...thusly, the Old Gods convened in the presence of the strongest, Eion, Son of the Void, and set to create new beings from the wombs of Yog-Birana. From its pulsating flesh sprung beings lesser than they but higher than the beasts of the seeded worlds. Using their blood, magic, and flesh, four groups of beings were born. '' ''Zotos breathed fire into the womb of Yog-Birana and from it came the first Dragons. '' ''Petrina severed her own hand, Carcosa his face, and Tytoro his strength, and from Yog-Birana sprung out the first Giants. '' ''Yig gave his blood and sperm, Wierga his magic and from Yog-Birana came the first Serpents. ''With their new children, the Old Gods were satisfied but, from the darkness, came the strongest of them all. Cthulhu gave his form and strength, Izma her hatred and vitality, Eion his wisdom, Akna her magic, and Yog-Birana birthed the strongest, most beautiful, and most vile creations: The Illithid." ''-First High Cleric Val'Nigia, "The Illumination of Our World: Volume I" From these core four came all of sentient life. With their creations birthed from the pulsating flesh of Yog-Birana, The Old Gods began splitting off. They took huge swaths of the 'lessers' with them to create vast, incalculable intergalactic empires that were constantly at war. The Old Gods quickly controlled the entire universe. The edges of the universe was expanding too slowly for the Old Gods empires liking, which resulted in disputes over territory between the thirteen Old Gods. These territorial disputes became a genocidal intergalactic conflict, with the Old Gods fighting not just for territory but for the right to rule over all. Including the Old Gods. Eion, Old God of the Void and oldest between them, had a plan to finish the war and finally rule over the entire universe: take the Dark Tower. Eion knew that the Dark Tower was the conduit of the Deity's power, which meant whoever could control it could control everything. Eion also knew that because of the Deity's nature, it would never directly resist Eion. As Eion grew in strength, and mobilized his galaxy sized fleets towards the Dark Tower, the Deity knew he had to do something. The Million Year War "The Deity looked down from the Dark Tower and witnessed the chaos and horror his children had created. Such depravity was not its intention, but was the unfortunate outcome. Upon its grand throne, the Deity contemplated its error and the solution to its childrens malice. Then, its will was done. With its holy grace and goodness, the Deity created a gift for the First Universe, one to combat the atrocities of his children. This gift was compassion." -First High Cleric Val'Nigia, "The Illumination of Our World: Volume I" To end the war and stop Eion before he could take the Dark Tower, The Deity created compassion and bestowed it to his youngest, Illisa. With this gift, Illisa underwent a transformation, her form completely shifting. She was no longer Illisa, Old God of Lust. With her Father's gift, she was now The Sage, or The All-Mother. She freed the lesser races of her empire, but not all took this lightly. When this occurred, the Illithid and Serpents among her empire fought back, but the Giants and their kin fought to protect her. In the end, with the Sages help, the Illithid of her empire were stopped, but some had managed to flee. They warned the other Old Gods of Illisa's change and new gift, which threatened to destroy all they created. The Old Gods then put aside their animalistic urges to fight each other and turned to their common enemy, The Sage. This began the Million Year War, where the twelve Old Gods and their empires waged a war of genocide and destruction against the Sage. However, the Sage alone was powerful enough to fight the Old Gods alone-their powers of chaos and evil and her powers of good and order balancing out. With compassion now within the universe, the lesser races began revolting-all but the Serpents and the Illithid. The Million Year War devastated the First Universe and didn't seem like it would ever end. Seeing that, eventually, the Sage would defeat her siblings, one of her former brothers, Nyarlathotep, came to her with an idea. He approached the Sage and told her that the only one who could truly stop the Old Gods was the Deity-the literal embodiment of time, space, and balance. With an idea in mind, Nyarlathotep and the Sage together were able to enter the Dark Tower. Though enraged at their disobedience, the Deity listened to their plan. Nyarlathotep implored the Deity to allow access of the Dark Tower. In his tricky mind, if all things were connected to the Dark Tower, they are connected to the Deity. And if they are connected to the Deity, they are the Deity and, thusly, are able to will the Dark Tower to answer the wish of a single individual. With that, the Sage wished that their father would directly act, ending the war and restoring balance. And so, the Deity created the antithesis of the Old Gods, The Galan; planet-sized beings of order who began a purge of the entire universe. Using their power, the Old Gods were not technically destroyed, but, instead, forced out of the universe entirely and into The Void. To do this, the Galan destroyed the First Universe, allowing the Sage to protect the innocent and those loyal to her, including Nyarlathotep. The Death of the First Universe The Old Gods were gone, the Galan had served their purpose, and the First Universe was totally destroyed. In the aftermath of the war, Yuan-Ti were shown mercy by the Sage, but banished from her graces. The Illithid were completely destroyed, the remnants of their kind long dead. The Sage and her followers, Dragon, Serpent, and Giant alike, watched the Galan purge the universe-galaxy after galaxy, star after star-until not a mote of lite could be seen. All that remained then condensed; an entire universe folding in on itself to become a Soul Gem. The Galan presented this Gem to the Sage and Nyarlathotep, who'd been granted mercy for his aid. And, with it, a new universe was born! -First High Cleric Val'Nigia, "The Illumination of Our World" The Galan were successful in their purpose: end the Old Gods control over the universe by forcing them out of it. Now, outside of all things and trapped in The Void, the Old Gods linger in perpetual nothingness, conscious and undying, able to look in but unable to act. The Galan then began decimating the universe as a whole, as their new purpose was to, essensially, reset the balance of the universe. To do this, the Galan were designed to purge the universe entirely, allowing for a new one to be created. The purged universe would then collapse in on itself, condensing itself into a powerful physical form-a Soul Gem. When the First Universe collapsed, the Sage used the first Soul Gem to create a new universe, with the help of her father, The Deity. The lesser races were placed back in the material universe, but this was now a second, completely unique universe. There, they were to do as they please and left to populate the universe. To forever protect the Dark Tower from all, the Sage and Deity built barriers called the Walls of Reality. These went on to create the different Planes of Existence. Still using the Soul Gem, the Sage created the New Gods, beings that would watch over the Material Plane, but would never directly interact with it-like the Old Gods. Finally, the Sage entrusted the Soul Gem to Iltes the Wise, a Dragon who had been at her side since the beginning of the Million Year War. The Soul Gem was taken and hidden away in Galmorrah, and Iltes was entrusted to protect it at all costs. All was well, but a prophecy was then given to the Sage and the New Gods by a Giant named Ru'hal... The Second Universe The Prophecy The prophecy spoken by Ru'hal the Gifted is one that's been a core teaching of religious doctrine most likely lost to time. It only resurfaced during the time of the Great Empire, where Great King Mathis interpreted the long lost prophecy to mean that powerful sorcerers would rise up and take his empire from him. This has been discovered to not be the case, as the prophecy was actually speaking about the Noma. The following lines were discovered deep within the caves of the Underdark, in the halls of the dead, ancient Thaig of Hutrim. It is carved on a stone slab set high above a regal throne, a testament to the Dwarves once mighty strength. It reads: 1-And so a great children of the Tytoro, Carcosa, and Petrina came before The Sage, who sat at her throne high in the clouds. 2-’Oh Great Queen, who broke the chains of the Old Ones, listen to my claim,’ 3-’From the ashes of the greatest nation born unto mortals, saviors will rise up! They will be born of your Father, the One Most High, whose body and soul brings life to us all!’ 4-’It is them that will bring true balance, ending the old ways, and usher in a new era of gods.’ 5-The Sage looked upon this man, wise and old, and asked, ‘What shall they be named, these gods you proclaim on high?’ 6-’I do not know, but they shall be known as the moral gods,’ said the Giant, ‘for they are not born from the Old or New, but of our descendants and blessed by the touch of the Father. They will take the mantle of Gods and Galan, destroy a darkness unlike any other, and take their places at the feet of the Father!’ 7-The Sage descended from her throne, gracing the great Giant in her ever pure light. ‘What, fair Giant, is this darkness of which you speak?’ 8-’A being of power only rival to the Deity. It will be born outside of time, outside of space. From magic is its form, from darkness is its mind. More powerful than the Old Gods, more powerful than any, it will rise. It will spread corruption through the universes, upsetting the balance time and time again.’ 9-’Universes will collapse. Gods will die. Races will be slaughtered. It will stop at nothing to achieve its goal. Control. But, a man will come and you must be ready. For this man will be the catalyst of the true battle against Light and Dark, Order and Chaos, Good and Evil. This man who will be born will mark the Final Universe and the death of the Dark One and its creators. For now… we must wait...’ Prosperity of the Second Universe Unlike the First Universe, which was overrun with madness, horror, death, and chaos, the Second Universe prospered. The civilizations built by the mortal races had seen what the Old Gods had done, and instead did the opposite. They were built on peace, egalitarianism, and compassion for all. At the Second Universe's height, the three main civilizations rivaled the Old Gods empires in size, but not strength. Much of the technology developed by billions of years under the Old Gods was lost during the First Universe's destruction. Instead, mortals began to over rely on Arcane magic for all aspects of life. Though magic could be taught, the most powerful spellcasters were the Sorcerers, whose power came from complicated bloodlines. The following was written by King George Marival II, also known as the Never-Sleeping King, in 1851 during his training at the Willenbrine Convent. It reads: With ‘Celestia’ created, light filled the realms. The sands of Galmorrah glistened; the creatures of the Material Plane danced with delight, and the Dark Tower, throne of the Deity, was closed off once more. The Giants spread their ilk throughout the new universe, creating an empire greater than Serpent or Dragon. After millions of years, the Giants began to change, creating the first Humans, Elves, Orcs, Hobbits, Fey, and Dwarves. With their appearances changing, so did their empires. But one thing remained: The stories of the old universe. Eons passed; the universe was prospering and balanced. Wars between the empires were common, but, despite them, the Balance was in check. The Galan remained in their domicile, outside of all things, and morals prospered in their own ways. For a time, all was good. But then something happened. The Dark One Despite the prosperity that existed in the Second Universe, chaos soon emerged. Bloodlines between sorcerers became an important aspect of leadership, with the most powerful demanding to rule. The differences between the original Giant races also eventually began to cause problems. Some races viewed others as inferior, either to worthy of slavery or purging. There was also division in these views, with many feeling disgusted with such authoritarian views. All these elements culminated in a complete schism of the dominate three civilizations. War, something that'd never existed in the Second Universe, was now a constant. Many revelled in it, but most simply wanted it to end. Found within the lonely shelves of the Great Library of Stathmore is a faded book with a red spine. The spines text has been lost to time, but Ismore, the Head Librarian of this monolithic place, has clipped a tag to its pages. The tag, dangling from a single loose brownish string, reads, "Meta-Physical Theories on the Pre-Histories". A segment reads: It has never been determined what exactly happened to the ‘Second Universe’. A commonly believed theory is that, eventually, wars between the civilizations, referenced in oral stories by Northern Tribes like the Durmont Tribe, escalated in some form. This theory is called the ‘Dark Magic Theory’. It’s widely believed by Meta-Anthropologists, Theostorians, and Prehistorians that the ‘Second Universe’ was considered a ‘Brass Age of Magic’, in which technology relied entirely on the development and understanding of magic. These civilizations, though highly evolved and democratic, were thought to be ruled by the strongest of sorcerers and sorceresses, literal moral gods. The ‘Dark Magic Theory’ proposes that mages on all sides of these known conflicts attempted to end them abruptly by tapping into a unused magical resource. This resource was The Void, the space outside the physical universe that now held the Old Gods after their defeat by the ‘Galan’ at the end of the Million Year War. These mages, leaders of their nations, attempted to siphon magic from beyond by puncturing a hole through the Walls of Reality. In siphoning this magic, magic flow became so unstable that the power took a physical form. This residual power took its physical form, possibly on it’s own or by possessing one of the mages attempting to utilize the dead gods powers. This theory, however, contradicts the written text; ‘Legends of the Old World: Volume IV’, by the High Cleric Lucian Recul, revised in Imperial and annotation by Tengu scholar, Black Feather of Na’goul. In the most recent and common iteration of the text, a nearly one thousand year old piece predating Geno’Vivan control by nearly four hundred years, what created the contextual ‘Dark One’ actually began as soon as the Galan trapped the Old Gods. “From their entrapment within the place beyond all things, the Old Gods plotted. Though they were gone, they were not dead. While their bodies drifted through the cold, lifeless void, their minds worked, plotting, communicating. As the eons passed, their plot became certain: retake the world beyond. Like before, they congregated, their dull but still powerful magic flowing from them. Together, they poured their power and life, bending not only the realms, but the will of the Deity. From the darkness, the Dark One was birthed into the Second Universe, a being whose name shall not be written nor spoke.” (‘Legends of the Old World: Volume IV’, Page 1023, Lines 11-18) Many academics that study in the realm of Prehistory see problems with this. While we do not doubt Recul's theory of the Old God’s consciousness, there’s issues with the idea that they managed to bend the Second Universe to their will. Prehistory Professor Izzet Soyen from Stathmore makes the point that “...if the Old Gods had the ability to bend the universe to their will, why had they not done so again? Why had they not attempted to free themselves before or after?” Despite the theories on how the Dark One was created, the universal consensus on what happened after his creation is this: With the Dark One born from the Old Gods magic, it had the collective memory, intelligence, power, and wisdom of the eleven trapped Old Gods. This meant it had one purpose, as noted by First High Cleric Val’Nigia in 'The Illumination of Our World' and High Cleric Regul: Regain control. However, it also must be noted that the Dark One didn’t see itself as a tool of the Old Gods. It saw itself as the ruler of the Old Gods. Through various sources, artifacts, and other means, it is safe to determine that the Dark One alone destroyed the Second Universes mortal nations, transforming them, through magic and brutal, forced physical evolution, into the second coming of the Illithid. The other empires were weakened by their ongoing wars and fell within only a few decades years. Survivors fled to the far corners of the universe, only to be brutally executed by the thriving Serpents, or 'Yuan-Ti', who were banished there by the Sage. With no opposition, the Dark One attempted to pierce through the ‘Walls of Reality’ by ripping them apart and enter the Dark Tower. This, however, upset the balance so drastically that the Galan were awoken. Once again, their purpose was to purge the universe, destroying the Dark One and its new empire in the process. The Dark One, however, somehow survived the destruction of the Second Universe. How this occurred has remained a contentious source of debate for centuries. With this, the Galan destroyed the Second Universe, but not entirely. The Fatewalker With the destruction of the Second Universe, the Sage and New Gods hoped to prevent the Balance from becoming so overturned that the Galan are awakened. So, in order to watch over each new universe, a Fatewalker is chosen. The following is a written transcription by Script Odonis during a group possession of the Fates of Tay. It reads: “The Heralds of great Power, the Voidwalkers were Galans chosen! As spoken by the Kings of Old, the Immosian Church, and by we, the Fates of Tay, the Voidwalkers protect the knowledge of old!” “Blessed by the Sage, the Voidwalkers transcend their broken, condemned universe to dwell within the new! The last mortal alive of a condemned universe-imparted with the knowledge of the old, then placed within the new. Their duty? To speak out and inform the good and evil, the weak and strong, the king and pauper, of what’s to come! “ “They impart the history of the old to bring upon us, the Sages chosen! They see past, present, and future, given this ability not as a gift, but a curse! Blessed are they with the gifts of foresight, but cursed with immortality and the duty to protect the Soul Gems in death. After each universe, a Soul Gem formed and, with it, the Voidwalker is entrusted with it." "The first Soul Gem belongs to The Sage and her chosen, who uses it to craft each universe, past and future. The Second was lost, too powerful to destroy, but whose theft is lost to history. The others dwell within Galmorrah, The Realm of Lost Souls, held and protected by the immortal, all powerful Force Dragons; Voidwalkers in life, Dragons in death.” “The Soul Gems are held in check and rightfully so! Their power can pierce the heavens, allowing near infinite power, even the Dark Tower if one is strong enough! A single VoidWalker walks among our world; keeping the knowledge to himself, until the end beings once again!” From then on, each time a universe was destroyed one would remain and become the next universe's Fatewalker. The previous Fatewalker, failing in protecting the previous universe, is then entrusted with that universes Soul Gem. In Galmorrah, they're granted the form of Dragons to ensure the Soul Gems protection. The Third Universe The following is taken directly out of 'The Destroyer: The Failure of Man and God' by Cleric Folmer Trisis. It reads as follows: The Third Universe began much in the same way as the Second. The Sage populated the universe with the races from the previous, the Yuan-Ti were banished to the far corners of the universe, and the Illithid were seemingly destroyed. Over a millennium went by, and the races of mortals had made a new, singular nation, the Anasari. This prompted the beginning of ‘The Godly Universe’, a term used by Theostorians to describe this particular universe, which had begun to distinctly separate the mages from the non-magic users. It’s also a term used to describe the universe in which the New Gods had a direct hand in assisting morals, ignoring the Sages intentions. It’s commonly assumed that the New Gods actually had human forms and assisted the Anasari directly. This, however, is a legend and not considered canon within the Church. What is canon, however, is that, somewhere around the twentieth eon of this Universe, The Dark One returned. He had managed to slip between planes after tearing down the Walls of Reality in the previous universe and had returned with army of possessed creatures from the Madness Plane under his control. It was here that religious leaders remembered the prophecy from the previous universe. While a single, unified empire allowed the mortals to fight back, the Dark One was still managing to decimate their armies and conquer their worlds. The Dark Ones attack on the Third Universe was, according to history ordained by the Great Empire, the most brutal of them all. Instead of breeding a new empire of Illithid, Vine took to mentally controlling the weak willed. Brother fought brother, mother fought father, children slaughtered each other in the streets. Due to the sheer brutality of this newest war, the New Gods and the moral leaders convened together in an attempt to push back Vine and his slave army. During their convention, the New Gods, at the behest of Ioemedia, purposed that they follow in the footsteps of the Deity. Create a being strong enough to at least push The Dark One back. With that, the Destroyer was created; a being with the appearance of a colossal worm, the Destroyer was a creature infused with all the power of the New Gods. Initially the size of a large mountain, the Destroyer had the ability to grow with each city devoured. It's estimated the Destroyer, eventually, would devour entire worlds. The goal of the Destroyer was to devour Vine’s slave army and produce an army of its own: The Locust. The Locust were creatures that took the original beings form and twisted it into a horrific abomination. Both the Destroyer and it’s twisted children were viewed by many as their last hope. They were, however, wrong. When released, the Destroyer plagued unconquered worlds, killing and infecting billions. It was soon discovered that, despite the New Gods attempts, the Destroyer was nothing more than a mindless killing machine, it’s only purpose to destroy, infect, and move on. The Dark One saw a threat within the Destroyer and took it upon himself to, once again, attempt to pierce the Walls of Reality in an attempt to claim the Dark Towers throne once more. This was when the New Gods left humanity, in an attempt to combat The Dark One on their own. Humanity, left to their own devices, created an army of mages in an attempt to trap and jail the Destroyer. Upon a lost, plagued world, the army successfully trapped and jailed the Destroyer inside a magical prison named ‘The Cage’ using a mythical sword called ‘The Key’. Whoever holds ‘The Key’ can slice through what was discovered to be called ‘The Nexus’, the force exuding from the Dark Tower which held everything in place. ‘The Key’ was, initially, used only to lock and unlock ‘The Cage’ but, this universe's sorcerers saw opportunity. With the Destroyer trapped, the New Gods attempted to stave off an invasion from the Dark One, who had successfully managed to enter Galmorrah using the lost Second Soul Gem. Angels, Demons, and Lost Souls fought on the hot sands of Galmorrah, attempting to defeat him. Even The Sage, using the first and most powerful Soul Gem lead armies against The Dark One. However, he was simply too powerful. Celestia weakened, the moral mages used ‘The Key’ to cut a hole in The Walls of Reality, allowing their army to march on Celestia, wishing to become the prophesied ‘mortal gods’. Angels and Gods, however, fought against the morals on the floating city. This had its ramifications. With chaos spewing from all ends, the Galan were awakened, moving in on not just the physical universe, but all planes of existence. Angels, demons, mortals, and gods saw the wrath of the Galan. The Angels, Devils, and Gods were protected by The Sage, who shielded them from the Galan’s power. The mortals, however, were severely punished. The sorcerers that had attempted to take Celestia were cursed by the Galan, forcing them to serve as their servitors: The Kyton. The Galan crushed the mortals planets with extreme prejudice, allowing them to suffer. Once destroyed, the Galan reinforced the Walls of Reality, making interaction between the planes near impossible. And, despite the Galan arriving to purge everything, Vine had disappeared yet again… Along with the Second Soul Gem… The Early Current Universe And so we enter into the Current Universe. There were four or five Universes after the Third, but most of that history has been lost to time. Not even the scholars of the Great Empire could uncover the secrets of those Universes, and the current Fatewalker has never divulge what occurred. The Dominions Thus, we focus on the Current Universe which, at one point, was led by a glorious intergalactic empire called the ‘Dominions’. The Dominions spanned the entire universe, populated by trillions upon trillions and at peace for eons. Like all the others, the Current Universe was met with eons of prosperity and peace went by, until, the Dark One returned with the lost Soul Gem in his possession. Though there were other Universes between the Third and Current, The Dark One was not responsible for their destruction. The upsetting of the Balance was, instead, caused internally by the mortal empires, or perhaps by the New Gods actions. The Dark One had not been seen or spoken of since the Third Universe, which meant no one was anticipating his arrival. Unopposed and unknown to the Dominions, the Dark One arrived and began rebuilding the Illithid Empire once more. With the power of the Soul Gem, The Dark One managed to rebuild the Illithid Empire, with mortals following him as a God. This was the beginning of the Malificant Empire. Thousands of years went by as the Dominions fought against the Malificant, but they were no match to the Dark One. Eventually, the lost capital world of the Dominions fell to the Malificant. After this, the Dominions began to quickly fall apart, with a single, formerly uninhabited planet, Segil, standing in opposition. At this point, The Dark One had achieved what he sought: he'd found a way to break Walls of Reality. With the powers of the Soul Gem, along with the trillions of souls captured during his conquest, The Dark One managed meld the planes together allowing him to physically enter the Dark Tower and keep the Galan at bay. However, the mortals wouldn’t go without a fight. The Battle for the Future The last remnants of the Dominions arrived and stood in defense of the Dark Tower, fighting against the Malificant, Illithid, and The Dark Ones horrid abominations. In an attempt to stop The Dark One from claiming the Dark Tower, The Great King Mathis, the final heir of the Dominions, fought against The Dark One at the top of the Tower. But, Mathis was defeated. The Dark One and his Soul Gem were too powerful to stop. However, just as Mathis had fallen, The Sage arrived, fulfilling the prophecy. ...a man will come and you must be ready. For this man will be the catalyst of the true battle against Light and Dark, Order and Chaos, Good and Evil. This man who will be born will mark the Final Universe and the death of the Dark One and its creators. The Sage touched his sword, blessing the blade with powers of the Deity. With his sword, Dianatha, blessed, Mathis was imbued with the powers of the Nexus, the Deity, and the Balance. With a single swing, Mathis defeated The Dark One, stopping his plot of taking the Deity's place. The Dark One, however, didn’t die, like the Old Gods who created him. Instead, he simply became petrified in what appeared to be obsidian. Mathis, atop the Dark Tower, wished that the Walls of Reality would be repaired and that the Deity would save them. All these things came to fruition: The Malificant Empire was destroyed there at the Dark Tower and the resistance was saved! The Old Empire While the Dominions was lost, along with all its technology, Segil became home to ‘The Old Empire’, or The Great Empire, a civilization that spanned the entire planet and worshipped The Great King as a living god. The Great King stored the Dark One inside a secret tomb, wielding the divine sword more like a trophy than a weapon. Dianatha gave The Great King extraordinary powers. His lifespan was expanded over three thousand years, he had the wisdom of a God, the knowledge of past Universe's, and the magic of a hundred skilled mages. However, Dianatha gave The Great King the ability to understand and see the past, it also gave him the gift of foresight. It was this gift that would lead to the collapse of the Old Empire. The Recovered Prophecy With his knowledge of the past Universes, Mathis was able to recover the lost prophecy of Ru'hal. With this in mind, Mathis attempted to use his powers of foresight to predict their birth. Thousands of years into his rule, Mathis was able to see that the 'mortal gods', or 'Noma' in the old language, would, eventually, rise in strength and would take to the Deity’s side. Fearing he’d lose control and paranoid of the Noma’s birth, the Great King reacted dramatically. Mathis predicted that the Noma would be like the sorcerers of the past universes and born to mages with magic bloodlines. Mathis feared this for two reasons: he feared that, again like the past sorcerers, they'd bring about the total collapse of what he knew to be the Final Universe and, secondly, because he'd grown too enamored with power. This mix of paranoia and corruption led to what came next. The Madness of the Great King The following is an oral tale, told by Elder Almia of the Durmont Tribe to Prehisorian Professor Arthur Hitwell from the University of the La'vant: "Fearing the rise of the Noma and the usurping of his crown, the Great King Mathis climbed to the summit of the Divine Throne, the castle that pierced the clouds. His power seething, he called to his citizens." 'My people! Hear my claim! I have foreseen the fall of our Empire by the hands of heretics, prophesied by my blessed Blade! As your Emperor, as I have been since I brought peace and prosperity thousands of years ago, I make the following decree! All who use magic are to be executed! Their lines will end with their children's blood upon the streets of my cities! Sorcerer, learned man, and pious man alike will be slaughtered by the loyal!' "Chaos soon broke out amongst the fabled kingdom of old. Mages and their allies fought back against the Great King’s armies, but it was all done in vain. By year's end, The Great King's forces had slaughtered every arcane line, ensuring no mage as strong as him. But high above, in the floating cities of Celestia, the All-Mother wept. Filled with sorrow, the Sage cried up to the Dark Tower, begging her father and the High Father of All to act one final time. And so the High Father did." "Generation after generation has told that, before the Great King at the summit of the Divine Throne, the Deity appeared, his form appearing as a wolf, with blackened fur and powerful white eyes. It was there, atop the Divine Throne, that the Great King was cast from the eyes of the Deity, whom revoked his power. The great sword, the one named Dianatha, would no longer serve him. It would only serve the worthy. The Great King toppled over in pain, his grip upon Dianatha’s hilt scalding his veins." "With the Great Black Wolf’s purpose served, the Deity's form changed once more to that of a shimmering white elk, it’s antlers pointed high towards the swirling clouds, the Balance set between the horns. The spirits of the smoke show that the Great King saw an unending darkness, but a man standing beside him, his childhood friend and general, Guim, saw light and hope. Taking up Dianatha, his blood on fire, Guim slew the corrupted King, who fell from the Divine Throne, plummeting to his death. Thus, the Old Empire collapsed and the Dark Age began..." The Fall of the Old Empire With the Great King Mathis dead at the hands of his loyal advisor Guim, the Old Empire began to collapse. Several key factors contributed to the lead up of what would become the Dark Ages. The War for the Throne The following is from a text written by the current Rothian Head of Clans, Hisa Orat'Golo: "It's said by our kind that, after the Great Ruler Mathis fell, so did his kingdom. The Hinurok, our peoples holiest of temples, depicts the aftermath of the Great Rulers folly. Within the Hinurok's halls are paintings of man warring with one another over what remained of the kingdom they had built. One such human was the one we call Jarinak'Olok, the Uplifter, who sailed the blue tides and whose writings trained our people in the arts of war. Such a man was once long honored by our people, as he was a great warrior, who led armies against stronger foes than he and won. But man soon learned, as we from the isles of Roth did most recent, that war ends only in total destruction." "For a hundred years, war between factions, territories, races waged on. What fantastical works of war, history, and culture were lost, destroyed by the very men who once wielded them like sword and shield. Cities, depicted in the murals, were burned and razed, leaving only ruins like the Hinurok. Statues of legends from the worlds beyond the stars, books on the Universe's past, and knowledge of all things, crushed under the boot of the soldiers. It is as the old Tengu monk Gingret once said, 'In Peace, ones chaos and destruction is stored like a hurricane in a bottle. It isn't until the bottle is opened by the hands of War that one longs for the peace they took for granted.'" The Forgotten Plagues On Heel Street in the city of Esterbell, it's quite common to see Jesters and actors performing acts from history. The following is from one such Jester, performing 'The Great Idiot King': "Magic, you see children, was the very essence of the old Dominion! Imagine it! A ship, flying through the stars of the night sky, powered by nothing ones very will. Back then, there were Masters of Arcana, the Magic of the Heart, skilled not only in verse...but by blood. Yes, Sorcerer's, dear children, they ruled the Old Empire alongside Mathis, so just. And, because so many had such powers, all lives were better! Or so the stories go." "No one was sick, disease was held at bay, people could jump from here, in Esterbell, all the way to the snowy peaks of Desmond in the snap of one's fingers. Fantastical, I know, but all true, I tell you. All true. So when that great foolish king was cut down by his trusted friend, Guim, it was already too late... For, before this, the Great King Mathis ordered the Sorcerers, the Wizards, the Alchemists, the priests, all of them, he wanted their lines dead! And what the Great King wished, he received! So, as wars ravaged the lands, the magic they'd all become so accustomed to vanished. What books they had were destroyed, no learned men knew the magic to cure disease, and the fools stopped praying to the New Gods, instead they prayed to Mathis, the Immortal Savior of All." "So, like a ember landing in a field of dry grass, disease began to wash over what remained of the Old Empire. Sickness and plagues once held back by the magic they destroyed decimated those few that survived the wars. Cities that stood against the test of time quickly resembled quiet tombs and silent catacombs, left to rot with no one to maintain them. It was a horrific time, children. It was a time of plague, famine, and sorrow. All this caused by the actions of one man; a man who thought himself akin to a god. But, fear not! For, as you can see around you, this did not truly destroy us. Hope still remained in the hearts of a few, and those few would go forth to find a new land!" The Exodus One of the prized collections of the Geno'Vivan dynastic line is their library, which is filled with the musings and learned knowledge from court appointed scholars. The following is taken from directly from text written by Royal Scholar to Queen April of the Petit Line, Augustian Reneaux: "How many were left from the Old Empire is difficult to determine. Written historical accounts are nonexistent due to the wars that dominated the stages prior to the Dark Ages. The plagues prevalent during the period whipped out so many, so quickly, that there were not enough people localized in specific areas to get an estimate of who was left. It can only be assumed by historians that focus their studies in the Dark Ages that mass hysteria and panic led to infighting, killing a large percentage of those that survived. The remaining groups-small enough groups to mobilize, but large enough to develop a culture non-dependent on magic-then began to scatter away from the urban centers of the Old Empire." "For example, the largest ruin known to us is the Dynasis Remnants, named after the Dynasis Atoll located in central regions of Oceania. The remains of this city perforate the water and, since the cities collapse into the sea, coral has begun growing on the remaining stone. The coral devours all, so say the Unari, but fossil remains have survived on the island surrounded by the Atoll." "There, archaeologists discovered that, at the end of the Old Empires life, bodies were literally piling up in the streets. Due to the level of disease in cities, these groups spread out and away from urban centers. Lack of complex agricultural or horticultural knowledge without magic forced these groups to regress into hunter/gatherer cultures. This was the 'Exodus', the mass migration of the last remaining populations from the remnants of the Old Empire." "A few groups are documented in crude artworks to have travelled East across the oceans, but whether they settled anything beyond Lamaria is unknown. Larmaria itself was colonized by Elvish tribes, which would inevitably become the Elvish nation after the Rebirth. Several human groups settled in Oceania, while recorded Dwarven ancestor would quickly stake claim on the Old Empires extensive geo-interior settlements and fortresses in what's commonly called 'The Underdark'. However, the most prominent migration would travel north. Their reason for doing so is completely unknown to scholars and lost to oral tradition, but the impact of this decision would shake the entire world. For better and worse." One hundred years after the Old Empires collapse (100 B.R.) is considered the estimated date of the last true migration. The Old Empire was officially dead, and with its collapse came the over two thousand year period known as The Dark Ages. It's best described by this piece from the Immosian Litanies titled 'The Canon of the North': "Banners wave, over blackened skies. Boots-they march, towards mountains high. The sun has set, as a nation dies. Two thousand years, until her rise. Silence falls, upon the earth. But one day soon, comes the suns rebirth. The First Shall Come." The Dark Ages Forming the Desmondic Tribes The human races attempted survival in the northern continent of Desmond for nearly a century after the last Exodus. Historians date this between around 100 B.R. to the last evidence of truly solitary, familial hunter-gatherer communities around 174 B.R. Due to the influx of travelers to the north and the brutal conditions, many individuals began to congregate into large, mobile tribes in order to survive. These would go on to become the Desmondic Tribes, or Desmondic Clans, which still roam the wintery wastes today. Historian Sozer Karatas, a professor of anthropology at Kadeshar College, wrote in this 1911 A.R. piece "The World and It's Many Corners,": "Take, for instance, the Northerners and their tribes. The Kasaan, who hunt the Walrus on the eastern coasts. The Ryn, who climb the Obleko, hidden away from the rest of the world. The Durmont, who follow behind the noble Dire Caribou. These people have lived here for millennia, nearly untouched by our world and culture. But these are not the only ones that live on the harshest continent in the world..." Sirsha MacArthur, a senior scholar at the Mathias Tower, wrote in 1933 A.R. that: "Before the end of the Dark Ages, there were several tribes nomadically wandering the polar regions of Desmond. The most notable, for obvious historical and mythical reasons was the Mil'Gan. The Mil'Gan, supposedly, travelled in the wooded areas just north of the Atka Mountain Range, before the roving plains of the Durmont Tundra. Other tribes began their formation around this time, between 174 and 211 B.R. Most of them kept to the southern portions of the continent, due to the harshness of the Atka Range and lack of food in the Durmont." Yn'rael Life during the Dark Ages was hard for the mortal races. With none of the magic or knowledge of the Old World, tribes relied on natural practices provided by shamen. Tribes, the most notable being the Desmondic, were completely mobile, following specific sources of food. Their history is one with very little events. Some warred with one another, there were some important events, but, for the most part, the years between 100 B.R. and 1988 B.R. were relatively uneventful. That is, until Yn'rael arrived. Arrival The following was discovered by archaeologists, who uncovered a worked deer skin preserved by the cold. Translated, it reads: "I wandered the mountains that night, hoping to fell a ram as it slept. Wind chilled my bones through the furs as I hoisted myself higher and higher, with snow as dense as the thickest embers flowing past me. I remember mounting the summit, my sight no match for the darkness of that blizzard. My heart leapt when Lilith, gods be praised, heard my prayers, parting the clouds so as the moon could, for a moment's time, guide my eyes and arrow straight. It was then I saw it - a figure alike to kin in the valley. What could be seen was such to sink my heart, for the kin I saw there laid face down, unmoving." Quickly, I descended, for a night as this could kill scores of braver men than I. I, simply put, am but luckier than they. In the valley, I rushed through the waist-high snow, in hopes to pardon my kin from the wings of Stamos, gods be praised. Though I wore no paint, flew no banner, or chanted any creed, kin is kin to my weak and fanciful heart. Upon approach, I saw little breath. My kin was bundled up, but such furs would be no respite for the cold of the Atka. With no ram caught, I took my kin over my shoulder and began the trek back to my hearth and home. Fire did my kin well, but I quickly discovered she was no kin of mine. She had fair skin the color of a starless night, hair like the silk of a wolf spider, but resembled the Elves of the tribes. When her eyes fluttered open, I asked her her birth name. "They call me Y'nrael," said the woman, who sipped the broth I prepared from old Yak bone and fat. As the winds howled through the cracks of my hut, she told me of a place far beneath the feet of man. There, a war waged on between all kinds: man-kin, stocky and harsh, her kind, fair and just, and Serpent-like demons - beasts that survived here far before the Fall of the Great Kingdom of stories told. She shared with me, as hearth fire dimmed, how the demons took her and forced her to work. One day, as she toiled in the wet caves, she discovered a piece of stone, almost black in color. She pulled the piece from mentioned cave wall, and a vision she did have. One of the gods, gods be praised, spoke to her in a place within her mind. Though she spoke with him for what seemed like weeks, it was only merely the time a tinderwig catches a flame. This god, his name too divine to speak, showed her the way out and helped her vanquish her captors. She exited a cave as far as three moons north, only for Lilith and her cold winds to fell her. Curious, I implored. "How be that you felled such foes? Demons of tale from the Old Kingdom are not as common conquest as a deer, bear, or ram." With her hand outstretched, her fingers seemed to gently catch the last few flames in the hearth. These flames wove through her fingers like my mothers threads through the loom, until she squelched the fire in her fist. Magic as this was only told in story, never truly seen! In moment of past, I was in awe of such display as this. But now, as I write this, I think to myself of how I should have struck her down in my home, or left her to Stamos' will. Only the Gods, gods be praised, could have known what horrors would come when she left my home the next morning..." The Great Kahn The following is taken from a song, sung by the Story Master of the Kaasan tribe: "Fire licks her mind and hand As her war-band burns the land Children screams, they ring on high As their kin, they burn alive There she watches, upon her horse Her eyes empty, without remorse So Desmond meets a new evil, the one they call Y'nrael" For fourteen years after this, Yn'rael, a Drow from the forgotten realms of the Underdark, began to conquer the tribes of southern Desmond. She used magic to do this, her powers flowing through her from the Dark One, who hoped she'd free him. By 2002 B.R., Yn'rael had unified the southern nomads south of the Atka Range under her banner. They called her the Great Kahn, who's warrior-ways and magic decimated anyone that stood in her path. Many simply bowed to her when she demonstrated her magic. Others refused, meeting the end of her blade. Her new society worshipped her like a god, and she used this to her advantage. She began searching for the site of what the nomads called N'ygan. N'ygan, however, was better known during the Fall of the Old Empire as the Tomb of Mathis, the Great King. It was here that Mathis hid the Dark Ones body away, and the Old Empire's collapse ensured its location remained a mystery. In order to resurrect her master, Y'nrael would need to both find N'ygan, but the Dark One informed her of a looming threat: The Noma. He told her through visions that the first Noma would soon be born, and it was her job to find and eliminate the threat before they uncovered N'ygan. And so, Y'nrael set off with her roving bands to find and kill the First Noma. The First Noma The following is from the song 'The Canon of the North, from the Immosian Litanies: "Through bitter snow and gailing winds, born the one to end the Great Kings Sins. The Sage, she watched a child born, While the Dark One plotted his scorn. The High Father of All, upon her head, Pass on his gift of the Nexus thread." Birth "The birth of Merida, the First Noma, was the most prominent event of the previous era; if not the entire history of our world. Born to the legendary Mil'Gan tribe, of which all modern Desmond tribes claim heritage to, Merida would go on to stop Y'nrael and the Dark Ones plans. Her story is one of heroism, tragedy, romance, horror, and adventure. Her actions still being felt today." -Nicodemus Knoakesburrow, author of "the Dark Ages Saga" The First Noma was born to the Mil'Gan tribe, who trekked through the boreal forests just north of the Atka. The First Noma, named Merida, daughter of Vern, was born on 1994 B.R., four years into Y'nraels conquering of the south. Her gifts were not known to anyone in the tribe, who could neither use nor detect magic. Instead, she was treated as any other child of the tribe would, with her parents giving birth to another child, a baby boy, in 2002 B.R. She was eight years old when Y'nrael and her marauders arrived in her tribes village. Slaughter of Tribe Mil'Gan The best way to describe what happened to Merida's tribe is to take a look at the first few pages of the second book in the 'Dark Ages Saga', by Nicodemus Knoakesburrow. Titled 'The Battle of Sca'la', the first several pages are an in depth recap of the previous book: "Long ago, in the days without magic, before the Dwarves left our world, before the Kings of Tygen, the slaughter of the Elves, and the heroes of our time, there was a tribe. Wandering the land of Forever Winter, Desmond, was a clan named the Mil’Gan. As any in the days of old, they were a peaceful, noble people. They travelled Desmond, living with the land as others had, after the great fall of the Old Empire. For millennia, they lived in peace, but one day a rumor reached them. Past the Atka, word was spreading of a warband that was growing in strength. Horses and their riders dashed across the south, swallowing up tribes and towns alike. Swaths of land burned behind them, the warband enslaving all that could do labor. Those that resisted were killed, their bodies never to rot in the frozen wastes. Mobs of slaves were marched to an ancient ruin where the warbands leader, an Elf with obsidian skin, dwelled. Their leader, known in rumor and letter as Y'nrael, had something no one else did. Something that had been lost for millennia: The Magics of Old. Legends say she could light the battlefield aflame with nothing but a flick of her wrist, squashing an army of hundreds with little more than a thought. She could peel the souls of even the strongest man from his body, leaving him a hallowed husk. Her merely her name evoked terror in the hearts of those not conquered and, fearing they'd be next, many attempted to flee. Those that fled perished in the wastes, the rest captured and enslaved. But not the Mil'Gan. They did not flee because they did not fear the evil Y'nrael possessed. That is, until Y'nrael and her warband came upon the noble tribe. Many tribesfolk tried to fight off the horse-riders, but the invaders weapons and prowess were too great. The tribes yurts burned as the warriors rounded up the survivors for Y'nrael to observe. One by one, Y'nrael passed over the villagers, feeling their minds, hearts, and souls with her magic, and, one by one, Y'nrael ordered their execution. The village dead at her feet, Y'nrael came the last of her victims, a young girl with red hair and her infant brother. Y'nrael extended her hand, her powers flicking out towards the children. That was when she felt something. An ancient power unlike any she had felt before. And there, as the polar snow fell around them, Y'nrael knew her search was complete. Y'nrael pulled the baby from the girls grasp, ordering her warband to move out. As the horses sped off, the young girl, named Merida, was left in the cold to freeze. On the brink of death that night, a mysterious man appeared and wrapped her in the hides of the great Dyre Caribou. He took her north, into the brutal and majestic Obleko, far from Y'nrael and her Master. He nursed the girl back to health there in the mountains, telling her stories of a kingdom from long ago. Slowly, she began to consider the man her father, each day growing stronger. As the years past, their bond grew, but, eventually, Merida's destiny could no longer be ignored..." Training Taken in by a man she soon came to call her father, Merida was trained in the art of sword fighting and archery. One such story, from the first book in the 'Dark Ages Saga', 'The Last Hope', depicts Merida's life in the Obleko: The valley's forest was quiet that evening as the sun dipped behind the western mountains. A gentle wind shook the pine branches, powdered snow dancing through the air. A lone doe walked cautiously through the woods, its eyes always on the lookout for wolves or worse. It was tired, though, from all its walking. It'd lost its herd nearly three days before, and now hoped to find them if it just kept heading north. Just as it was beginning to slow, it spotted a branch of wildberries dangling from a tree. Hungry after it's long walk, it moved, quietly, towards the bright, red berries. Suddenly, halfway to the branch, it stopped. Its ears perked up, and its head swivelled left. Hidden amongst the trees, bow in hand and arrow drawn, was a red-hair young woman. She was dressed head to toe in furs and leather, a few of her scarlett red curls poking their way out from the fur bindings on her head. She took aim at the deer, which stared back at her with big, dark eyes. The woman, named Merida, took in a breath. The deer just stood there, watching, wondering what Merida would do. She tightened her grip on the makeshift bow, creaking under the strain of its line. The deer waited, never running or retreating. Merida's arm began to shake,